Netherlands: Information

The Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands was elevated into The Kingdom of the Netherlands by its first ruler, William Frederick, who was henceforth known as King William I.

Commonly known as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom - Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten - are separate countries (landen in Dutch) and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. In practice, however, most of the Kingdom affairs are administered by the Netherlands - which comprises roughly 98% of the Kingdom's land area and population - on behalf of the entire Kingdom. Consequently, the countries of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are dependent on the Netherlands for matters like foreign policy and defence, although they are autonomous to a certain degree with their own parliaments.

The vast majority in land area of the constituent country of the Netherlands (as well as the Kingdom) is located in Europe, with the exception of its three special municipalities (Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius) that are located in the Caribbean. The constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are located in the Caribbean as well.